Summer is officially over and with school back in session, the high school volleyball season is underway. The Carlton Crusaders are looking to make some noise at the provincial level after both the boys and girls teams qualified for provincials last year.
Boys to lean on veteran leadership
It was a successful season for the Carlton Crusader boys volleyball team a year ago as they finished fourth in provincials and served as the tournament host.
With several pieces of last year’s team moving on, head coach Curtis Bender says he is looking forward to seeing what the youth can bring to the table this season.
“We’ve got about six guys that are back. (About) half our squad we lost, so we got some new faces. (They’ll) hopefully provide some energy. It’ll take some time to get everybody up to speed and whatnot, but it should be fun. It’s a process but I’m looking forward to it. You always want to develop your youth so that way you got a constant pipeline of guys coming up.”
Bender adds that the group of Grade 12 players returning from last year’s team will need to lead by example.
“We don’t have a lot of grade 12s, so we’re going to rely heavily on the grade 12s. With a lot more younger guys coming up, they’re going to have to carry the load. We’ll have to do it by committee too.”
One returning player that Carlton will look to rely on in 2024 is Grade 12 libero and left side hitter Sander Sparboe. Sparboe says he is excited about his senior season and is looking forward to getting to know his new teammates.
“I really want to try and make sure our whole team is improving and it’s a really cool experience to be a senior playing with these guys because there’s not very many of us. We’re getting the opportunity to show what we’ve learned in the past and put that down on them so they can learn what we’re doing.”
One area where Carlton will look to thrive in this season is playing a strong, defensive brand of volleyball. Bender says the Crusaders will need to play well defensively to make it back to provincials in 2024.
“It’ll be our passing and defence. We are going to have to win it out defending another team as we’ve got some really good passers and I think that will be our strong suit for sure for this year.”
With a large number of Grade 10 and 11 players making up the team, Sparboe says the Crusaders will need to be strong not only in games, but also in practice to reach their goals this season.
“We have to really keep up the competitiveness in practice. I think this year it’s really important because not all of our guys are as talented as last year. We have good leaders this year and we have a good chance and if we put in the work, we can get there.”
Carlton Girls showing eagerness to learn early
For the Carlton girls, the 2024 season will feature a lot of development for the younger players on the Crusader roster.
With six players returning from last year’s roster, head coach Tori Glynn says she is looking forward to seeing the team come together throughout the season.
“We’re definitely a young team. We’re excited to get started and get to work because a lot of these athletes, they’ve played, maybe in the same club or in the same school, but maybe not on the same team.”
Last season, the Crusader girls qualified for provincials, which were hosted in Prince Albert by St. Mary. Carlton did not advance past pool play after posting a 1-3 record in four matches. Saskatoon Holy Cross, North Battleford Comprehensive and Weyburn all defeated Carlton in Pool B. The Crusaders were able to knock off Regina LeBoldus, who finished as the provincial bronze medallists.
With the returning veterans having experience on the provincial stage, Glynn says she is hopeful they are able to share that knowledge with the younger players on the team.
“Any time that you qualify for provincials, being able to be in the regional and qualify, that’s a really good experience for athletes. Hopefully those athletes that were able to participate in that last year, they’re familiar with that whole process of regionals and provincials going into the season here in 2024.”
Kiera Hayes, entering her final season of high school volleyball as a Grade 12, is one of the returnees for the Crusaders from last year’s team. Reflecting on her experience at provincials last year, Hayes says it showed all the returning players what it takes to play at a high level.
“It was really beneficial being able to play against teams that were not only better than us, but we had equal games too and it was nice that it was here in PA. I think it made us, the returning group, even stronger so that we can help build, especially because we have some younger players this year, help build them up and become a stronger team this year.”
Hayes, who plays middle for Carlton, will be looked at as one of the leaders with the Crusaders this year. She says she wants to help her younger teammates adjust to the high school level as best as she can.
“I really try to lead by example, but I also just like encouraging them and trying to stay vocal because I understand that it could be scary being a grade 9 or even grade 10 on a senior girls team playing against other senior girls teams that are mainly filled with grade 12s.”
Carlton already has one tournament under their belt so far this season. While the season is still young, Glynn says the team is already showing a keen interest in improving and should continue to grow throughout the season.
“I think that they’ve already demonstrated a willingness to learn and they’re asking really great questions and so if they continue to put in the effort at practice I think we’ll see some positive results.”
The Carlton girls will host a tournament on Sept. 13-14.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
